Mars vs Jupiter As told by Mina
by LouEthelip
Summary: Raye Hino vs Lita Kino face off in a Mixed Martial Arts MMA match. Who will win in the Octogon?
1. Chapter 1

MARS VS JUPITER (AS TOLD BY MINA) 

BY

LOUIS GAGLIANO

It was one of the hardest things I ever had to endure watching. Two of my best friends were trading punches and kicks, each trying to destroy the other. Neither would relent. Neither would give up. They were determined to finish this battle or collapse in the attempt. It was too late to turn back the hands of time. Rei's face was becoming puffy from all the head shots. She had also suffered a cut to right of her left eye above the nose.

It was good that the blood flowing down her cheek was avoiding the eyes or she would have been finished. Lita wasn't doing that much better. You could see how she was trying to protect her ribs on the right side which at best were bruised for Mar's thunderous kicks. It was causing her breathing to become labored. Yet she too was driven to see this to its conclusion. As for me all I could do was watch and witness unable to stop my two friends from trying to destroy each other even as the crowd watching this event were on their feet in a bloodlust driven ecstasy.

So hard to believe this all started with a simple disagreement that blew up. It was a calm day. Nothing special was happening. Just a bunch of teenage girls doing their schoolwork and occasionally gossiping. Then came the debates and who was the best whatever. When it came to brains there was no debating Ami's superiority. When it came to who was the prettiest it started getting a bit more divisive. Not to sound like I'm bragging but I think in this category I'd be the favorite. Not that the other girls aren't beautiful enough to make a man's heart flutter extra fast. Without sounding vain I just think in a pure looks contest I'd have the advantage.

Then came the wedge that broke them up. Who was the best fighter. There were only two real choices here. Physically Lita would be dominant if it came to hand to hand fisticuffs. However if martial arts were thrown into the mix then Rei was her equal. In a mixed martial arts battle it was a difficult choice. Strength and power vs. speed, agility and versatility. The opinions were thrown out hot and heavy. In Ami's opinion Lita held the edge while Serena surprisingly went with Rei. Personally I think she was intimidated by what would happen to her if she didn't vote for the priestess. That left me with the deciding vote and I couldn't bring myself to make that decision. I wimped out refusing to take either side. Instead I was able to change the topic of discussion to our homework. For the moment all seemed well.

A few days later an advertisement was listed in the paper looking for participants for an amateur mixed martial arts tournament. The moment it was seen the bickering started over again. Both proclaimed they could win the championship without breaking a sweat. Believe me this was not a case of false bravado on the part of either lady. They honestly believed what they were saying. A fight almost broke out right then. Thank goodness Chad heard the squawking and in a wise move didn't try to stop it himself. He went and got Grandpa Hino who put his foot down by grabbing Rei by the earlobe and pulling her out of the room until tempers simmered. During this time he also sought to find out what the squabble was all about.

They pair reappeared in a few minutes with a more subdued Rei being in tow. I have no idea what Grandpa Hino had said or done but she appeared more than a little mortified. You could tell that the elderly man was working hard to make sure how his next words were going to be interpreted.

"So this argument between Lita and Rei was over who is a better fighter and could win a mixed martial arts tournament? Is this correct?", he stated.

All of us could do little more than nod our heads to the question. He had the gist of the situation correct.

"Did it even cross the mind of you two to perhaps actually try out and compete in this tournament for your answer? Instead of arguing like this was some high school debate?", he retorted.

The head of the temple let the comment hang in the air for a few moments as Rei and Lita stared at each other with blank looks to such an obvious answer. Then Grandpa Hino continued with his train of thought.

"If you two are interested I could enter you in the tryouts. According to what I've heard many of the slots are already filled with previous contenders but there are usually 3-4 slots open for new blood because some of the previous fighters are now too old for the 18 and under division. All you have to do is pass their audition by showing off your ability. Of course just to get in the door you need a properly trained master to co-sign your entry and I just happen to know such a person."

The offer appealed to both ladies. You could almost see the two of the licking their chops in anticipation of an actual confrontation and final resolution to the debate. Then Grandpa Hino threw a monkey wrench into the procedure.

"Of course to get that signature from me you'd have to be willing to submit to training from here to the tournament. I've seen your skills and think highly of them. However they are still raw and could use refining. Now the two weeks between here and the tryout we won't be able to do much but I think I can refine your technique enough to give you a better chance for victory. That's the offer."

The two stared at each other intently. Each looking to see if there would be any hesitation by their opposition. It was Rei who broke the tension not with a word but by the nodding of her head. That brought a positive reply from Lita. The battle was now officially on.

The two weeks leading up to the audition were filled with very intense workouts and training. The pair were put through a lot. Sometimes the workouts were together. Other times he would work with the girls 1 on 1. He never showed favoritism to either. He would often complain that Rei while have great agility and speed lacked overall power. By contrast he browbeat Lita for sacrificing too much speed and perhaps endurance for a power style designed for quick success. The rest of us didn't have that much easier. Since we would be working each of the girls corners during the fights we had to learn to be quick in our duties. Because of her knowledge of the human anatomy Ami would be in charge of taking care of any cuts and bruises. Also she was in charge in dehydrating them with water. I was in charge of keeping a compress against the neck of Lita and Rei between rounds to cool them down slightly and aid them in relaxing the neck muscles thus making it easier to slip any jabs or kicks. Serena had the worst job of all. She was in charge of the 'spit bucket' that each of the girls would spit into between rounds after swirling the water Ami had put in their mouths. She whined a lot when learning of her duties. This was one time I could feel quite a bit of sympathy for her.

It was a tough two weeks but when the auditions rolled around both girls were quite ready to strut their stuff before the judges. I wasn't allowed to go into the audition so I never got to see what happened. On TV that night they showed hundreds of young girls who were vying for entry. According to Lita the process was a couple of minutes at most. Both girls had to show their abilities for offense and defensive techniques. Then did a quick sparring with an imaginary opponent. I had no doubts that at least one of them would make it. Little could I have imagined when both got letters of entry for the tournament. Then they began to train even harder, more intently to prove who was the better battler.

Relationships always have their moments of strains be it between friend or lovers. Well during this time things definatly got strained. Sometimes I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions over who to support. On one hand Rei expected me to support her while Lita expected the same, yet they were both my friends. How was I to choose between the two. When the brackets came out for the tournament I saw that if the two were going to face off against each other it would be in the quarterfinals which meant each had to win 2 fights to make it. With their abilities it was well within the realm of possibility.

During this time we were all walking on eggshells around the two. Fearful that we would say or do the wrong thing to get them upset with us. The only times they'd be together was during training and even then talking between them was rare. Other than that they pretty much kept themselves separated.


	2. Chapter 2

_It was actually a sense of relief when the 1__st__ day of the tournament began. The whole gang had arrived much earlier than asked in the invitation to try and avoid any press that might be there. We were assigned a locker room with 30 other hopefuls, their handlers, and support staff. It made for quite a chaotic scene. More than once we had to ask each other to repeat what had just been said to be heard over the noise of the other._

_Eventually everybody but the fighters had to leave the locker room for the ladies to change into their fight gear. Out in the hallway the other trainers were talking about their charges chances. For his part Grandpa Hino didn't say much. The most brazen statement he made was that he felt his girls could turn a few heads, and not just because of the way they look. That statement got a good chuckle out of the others but I couldn't help but feel he was laying a trap, lulling the competition into a false sense of security. He was very low key during this time almost giving me a feeling that he knew something but wasn't about to share it with anybody._

_Finally the masses were given permission to go back into the locker room. This was important because we learned that Lita was going to be involved in the very first fight of the day. Grandpa Hino paid a lot of attention to Lita going over the strategy for the fight. Lita was dressed in traditional fighters garb with lightweight gloves that allowed her fingers to exit the glove and thus hold on to her opponent if she could grab them. Nearby at her locker Rei had decided to wear a more traditional gi because of the nature of her fighting style. When Lita's name was called our tall friend stood up. She had worked hard for this moment and was poise to show the world._

_Walking out to the octagon ring Grandpa Hino led the way with Lita holding his shoulders bounding up and down in a type of jog to help loosen herself up. Right behind her was Ami, Serena, and myself. Only Chad had stayed behind to keep Rei company. She would have to wait a while before her first fight and Grandpa Hino did not want her to get nervous. The assignment for Chad was simple. Keep Rei talking, or at least absorbed in him and thus keeping her mind off of what she was expected to do._

_The closer we got to the ring the more I was struck by the attendance within the arena. I couldn't see a single empty chair in the place. Many were shouting words of encouragement to both fighters while others would send out stinging and derogatory remarks. If Lita heard the sarcasm it didn't show in her face. She almost appeared as if her face was set in stone._

_Once in the Octagon the referee announced the rules of battle. 3 rounds of 5 minutes each. If there was no ending of the fight prematurely then the judges would make the decision of the victor. Then the ref brought the fighters to the middle of the ring to explain the rules and fouls that could be called. He then told the fighters to go to their corner and to come out when the bell rang.._

_Lita would have the height advantage in this first fight. But being mixed martial arts lack of height had its advantage if you knew how to use it. Grandpa Hino's final words of advice was simple._

"_Don't let her grab you. Use the jab, keep her off balance."_

_The bell rang, the audience cheered and Lita was ready to go. Her opponent approached her wary of the mountain she was going to have to climb. When the opponent got close Lita thrust a kick to her midsection the first two times. I wondered if she was setting up Lita. Trying to time the moment of her kick so she could grab the leg and take her down. The third time she got close Lita didn't kick. Her opponents hands were down enough for Lita to explode with a left jab and right cross. The blow was so strong and so sudden that the opponent went down hard. Lita wasted no time in getting into the dominant position on top of her and began throwing fists, elbows, and knees on the reclined opponent who was trying desperately to guard against the attacks. The blows were having their affects and soon it was apparent she could no longer successfully defend herself The ref declared the bout over. It was over that fast and when the announcer made the statement we were all stunned._

"_The winner at the 28 second mark of the first round. The winner by fight stoppage Lita Kino!"_

_The applause was strong but Lita had no time to celebrate. She saw the referee call for the medical team to come to the ring. Lita stood there, her jaw dropped down witness the results of her devastating blows. In all her years of fighting she had been used to fighting anybody male or female. Now the result of all those fights were on full display. Grandpa Hino had to grab her arm and lead her away from the ring. We walked back to the locker room where the attitude of many of the fighters suddenly changed. Some looked at Lita with respect, some with fear over what they had witnessed. As she passed Rei all that was said was," Good fight Lita."_

_Not a word was spoken by Lita during the entire incident. The enormity of what had happened showed in her eyes. She had not wanted to truly hurt her opponent. Looking up at the girl Grandpa Hino spoke his words cautiously._

"_I know what you're thinking about Lita. It was unfortunate but none of it is your fault. It is something that can be expected to happen from time to time. You are not to blame. It was not intentional."_

_Looking back at Grandpa Hino, Lita looked confused to knowing what to do next. Then the elderly man spoke again_

"_Let me ask you something. Do you want to stop now?"_

_The question drove right to the point of her predicament. Should she go on after what had happened. She looked to be wavering over what to do. Putting a hand on her leg tenderly Grandpa Hino provided some advice._

"_Do not answer the question right now. Your emotions are too churned up to think clearly. Try this instead. Sit down on this training table."_

_He patted the surface of one of the empty training tables that were normally being used usually to help tape up the fighters wrists or feet. Lita jumped on the table as instructed. Grandpa Hino then took an ordinary towel and wrapped it as tightly as he could and laid it at one end of the table. Then he laid Lita on her back so her head rested comfortably against the towel pillow. Finally he produced some incense sticks from a bag he had brought. Lighting one end he placed them on a small incense boat near each side of her head letting the smoke fill her._

"_This will help you clear your mind. Don't think of anything Lita. Relax, Breath in the incense. You have at least 4 to 6 hours before you need to make a decision."_

_He placed his hands on top of Lita's forehead and gave it a little pat. He left her laying there to begin to prepare Rei for her first round fight. I began to wonder if she would be all right._

_Five fights and about an hour later it was time for Rei's match. Once again we all walked out as one unit. Unlike Lita who had walked casually to the ring, Rei seemed to be soaking in all the attention she was getting from the crowd. She kept her hands on top of Grandpa Hino's shoulders as she semi-jogged all the way to the ring. She had built up a nice degree of sweat by the time we hit the octagon.. The opponent looked to be about the same height and body type as Rei. I just wondered what sort of strategy would this person use. The referee again explained the rules before sending the girls to their corners. For this fight we were standing near the TV announcers who were calling the action. It appeared her opponent was the surprise of last years tournament making it all the way to the semi-finals before losing. I admit that part of me was secretly hoping she'd win this fight so Rei and Lita wouldn't have to fight each other._

_The first half of the first round was spent with the two jockeying for position to throw the opponent to the ground. I heard the announcers referring to this as a "clinch fighting" style that could potentially lead to some submission maneuver. The opponent then found the opening she was looking for and managed to sweep Rei's leg sending her on her back. _

_The initial reaction for Rei was to assume a guarded position to protect herself. At one point she was able to pin one of her opponents hands just under her armpit and with her free hand was able to actually throw some punches back. The rest of the round was spent with Rei trying to reverse the hold and her opponent trying to press the advantage. Trying to be unbiased I thought her opponent had taken the first round easily but I was no judge and knew even less of what I was suppose to be looking for. As Rei came to the corner I heard the announcers praising Rei for her abilities on defense. I could also see Grandpa Hino talking to Rei about changing the strategy for the next round to apply a move that he felt might work if she had a chance to apply it. After 5 minutes of action the 60 second break seemed to fly by all too fast before she was sent back out again._

_The two circled more warily to start. The referee looked almost ready to warn both figures of passive fighting when they finally locked up. This time the takedown came quick and it was Rei who was now in the dominant position. Unlike the fight with Lita she didn't throw and punches, kicks or knees. Instead she was working on the right arm, while working her legs up her opponents body. I had no idea what was going on. The opponent's reaction implied to me that she knew what Rei was going to try and do and she was doing her best to prevent it from happening. The two worked their way to the padded mesh fence. Rei finally was able to begin hyper-extending the arm, while at the same time her legs wrapped around the opponents neck. I could hear the announcers call._

"_What a combination. An arm bar with a triangle choke. She is in trouble if she can't get out of this hold. The referee is right there looking for a signal, or a sign that she can't continue."_

_Rei continued to crank the arm back. I was honestly concerned it would break off like a chicken's wing after being baked. Finally with the free hand the opponent began to slap the mat. The signal for submission. The referee tapped Rei on the shoulder to break the hold. In a show of sportsmanship Rei offered her hand to the competitor who accepted it. Pulling her by the good arm Rei gave a hug and a pat on the back before the referee called them to their spots for the official announcement._

"_The winner at 3 minutes 23 seconds of the 2__nd__ round by submission. Rei Hino!!"_

_There was another shaking of hands between the two battlers before each went their own way. We made our way back to the locker room where we found Lita now asleep on the training table. The incense still burning near her head. Grandpa Hino smiled at the sight knowing that if she was this relaxed it would be easier for her to make the decision when she woke up. _

_We spent the next few hours relaxing by watching the other fights of the first round on the television set. We saw a great many styles of the martial arts though Lita was be proclaimed to be the only "striker" to successfully make it out of the first round. Grandpa Hino look very intensely at all the fighters. His usual jovial mood having disappeared. He was taking this more seriously than anything I've seen him take on in my life._

_The incense sticks had stopped burning about 2 hours later and not too much longer after that Lita woke up. She appeared to be much calmer that she had been after her first fight. After a small meal to keep her energy up but not enough to slow her down Grandpa Hino and Lita had a conversation they thought was private. In reality I couldn't resist the urge to eavesdrop a little. Both kept their voices down but the acoustics of the room made it easy to listen from a distance._

"_So Lita, are you feeling better now?", Grandpa Hino inquired._

"_Yes sir. Much better, thank you."_

"_Do you feel strong enough to continue in the tournament or would you rather stop now? Just so you know I'll support any decision you'd make."_

"_I'd like to try and continue."_

_Grandpa Hino listened to the answer, paused a moment, then replied._

"_Try is not a good enough answer. Your last opponent 'tried' I want to hear that you will fight. You will either do it, or not do not. There is no try 'try' here."_

_I would have loved to see her facial reactions to that statement. He spoke the words not as voice of authority but softly and kindly. Like a father would to his daughter. For Lita who had lost her parents at an early age I wondered if she'd understand the subtly of his actions and would respond as he had intended her too. There was a pause only for a few seconds before she did say something._

"_Understood sensei. I want to fight."_

_I couldn't help hearing her using the word 'sensei'. That word was a show of respect to the elderly man and her appreciation for what he was saying and doing._

_We moved into the 2__nd__ round of the tournament and once again Lita was in the first match. Now she was less of an unknown though her short victory had given her opponent little chance to scout her. Her power was undeniable and the opponent showed great respect for it. She uses her feet to throw enough kicks in an apparent attempt to charley horse the leg muscles making Lita more vulnerable by taking away her ability to move as quickly. _

_Lita looked to be a bit more tentative this time around too. I began to wonder if she was still being haunted by what happened in the last match. Some of the blows that connected I thought would be certain misses if she had been fully focused. Finally the opponent landed a shot to the head that brought Lita out of her funk. Charging her opponent Lita didn't stop until the opponent had been effectively pinned against the mesh of the cage. Then it was back to the pounding attacks of her fists and knees. Being pinned against the mesh there was little that the opponent could do offensively, so she went into a defensive crouch and did her best to withstand the offensive onslaught. Lita saw her chance and grabbed her taking her down to the mat to continue the assault until the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. This time at 4 minutes 38 seconds of the 1__st__ round. Lita looked very much relieved when her opponent got up under her own power and graciously accept Lita's hand in respect._

_Rei's next match went the full 3 rounds. For a while in the 2__nd round it looked a little bit like her opponent had gained the upper hand in the bout. There was a lot of grappling involved and neither seemed able to apply and major submission moves. Rei's speed and agility got her out of any other major difficulties and the opponent spent most of the fight trying to counter Rei's moves. When the bell rang after those 15 minutes of action I felt confident the judges would give the fight to Rei and I was right. For a moment I felt elation for her Then felt the horror of realizing that the tomorrow Rei and Lita would be going head to head and it scared me. Those feeling intensified when they looked at each other back in the locker room. You could feel the temperature of the room drop to below freezing from the icy stares at each other. For the moment however Grandpa Hino put that aside and made a nice dinner that I know I enjoyed a lot. He praised both Lita and Rei for their successes. He spoke of their fighting spirits and how their hard work with him had not been in vain. He also gave the rest of us kudos for the way we helped out though I will admit in Lita's case I felt more like a bystander. After all the only thing I did for Lita was walk with her to the ring and leave the ring less than a round later. _

_Eventually Rei and Lita showered and changed before being driven home in the Cherry Hill Temples van by Grandpa Hino. Rei and Chad were first dropped off at the temple. Then he made the rounds dropping off Lita, Serena, then Ami. I was the farthest away from the temple so I was the last person to be dropped off. The ride wasn't long but there was a lot of silence. All I could think about was the fight tomorrow and not certain where my loyalties should be. Grandpa Hino must have sensed my discomfort._

"_You seem troubled child. Is there in fact something bothering you? I've got two ears and no. waiting list."_

_The comical way the words came out of his mouth helped. It allowed me to have a small chuckle. It was then that I was able to open up with my concerns. Moving from the back seat of the vehicle to the front it still took me a couple of seconds before I could talk about it coherently._

"_Grandpa Hino, I'm scared about what might happen tomorrow.", I started_

"_Are you afraid that either Rei, Lita, or both will get hurt?", he asked._

"_That's part of it but not all. I'm afraid of what this will do to their friendship with each other…..or their friendship with the rest of us. Look what it's done already. I was hoping one of them would lose today. That may be a terrible thing to admit from a friend but I've got to be honest. I would have done anything to stop tomorrow from happening."_

_Grandpa Hino took a few seconds to let what I said sink in. He then smiled warmly at me and put his worn hands on mine before answering._

"_You can't stop tomorrow any more than you can stop the sun from rising. I believe this fight tomorrow was dictated by fate. The two have become phenomenal fighters but their reasons are so different. For Rei fighting is as much as spiritual thing as it is physical. It's an extension of her faith and discipline. For Lita I think fighting is her way of being able to stay in control of a situation. She doesn't want to have any appearance of being weak. She wants to be strong enough to be able to handle any obstacle. To handle any problem. I think this is because of losing her parents at such a young age she's actually afraid to trust anybody other than herself .In some ways its makes it nothing short of a miracle that she's ever made friends such as you, Rei, and the others. Now though this is something they have to do. "_

_I listened to his appraisal of the situation and found his assessment of the situation to be quite accurate. He'd never know the situations that got Lita involved with us but sometimes I forget that having faith in another person was and sometimes is Lita's weak point. _

_After heaving a sigh the elderly man continued._

"_Do you know what scares me the most? It's the fact Rei is going to be getting hurt tomorrow, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I saw what Lita is capable of today and it scares me. I'm afraid that Rei is not only going to get beaten up but beaten up badly. If I could impose my will I'd willingly take every blow for my grandaughter. Yet I also have to figure out how to destroy my creation in Lita. I know Rei will be the fiercest opponent Lita will face. Rei will not give up nor will she surrender easily. No matter who wins this fight. I'm afraid in the end both will lose more._

_I could not disagree with his appraisal of the situation. _

"_So how will you deal with this? How should I?",I inquired._

_He flashed a shaky smile perhaps trying to give me assurance._

"_After I drop you off I'll head back to the temple, take a nice bath, try to sleep, and most likely fail miserably. Then in the morning I'll give Rei my biggest smiles and try not to let on what I've just told you. Lita needs the same thing from you tomorrow. She needs all your support, all your smiles, all those wonderful qualities you've always shown. The others need to do the same thing. Then when whoever loses comes out of the fight they'll need those qualities even more."_

_He once again patted my hand before pulling out into the highway. Dropping me off at my house I tried my best to put my best face forward to my parents and even to Artemis. As I laid myself down to sleep that night my emotions continued churning just as Grandpa Hino predicted he'd be. Perhaps the others were feeling that way too _


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn t my alarm that woke me up the next morning. It wasn t even the rain and thunder. Instead it was the scurrying form of Artemis who was trying to make a b-line for the underside of my covers. His ears were so sensitive that that loud crackle of the lightning show outside was hurting his ears. I decided it would be better for him to let the sound be muffled by letting him stay there and not make my bed.

As I looked outside the rain was deluging the ground . It seemed an almost perfect match for the way I was feeling this morning. As I showered and got dressed I still recalled the words of Grandpa Hino from the drive home the previous evening. I didn t want to let on my fear that was soon to take place. Today was definatly a day I was going to be faking it as I would try to smile. After eating breakfast I stayed indoors until I saw the Cherry Hills Temple van pull up and heard the horn honking. Only then did I pull out the umbrella, opened it when I stepped outside, finally making a mad dash for the van. The girls were nice. The had the door wide open for me and I leaped into the back seat.

All right. Who ordered the rain? , I jokingly asked.

There was only dead silence. Serena and Ami looked at me like I had lost my mind while Grandpa Hino looked straight ahead as he pulled out into the street. I could see Chad sneaking peeks to Rei who had her head frozen so all I could see was the back of her head. Finally there was the profile of Lita who looked out of the window but her eyes showed someone who was definatly in another world. I guess what I thought last night was wrong. They definatly understood what was about to take place. All the talking was over and soon all that could be done was the fight.

No other words were spoken by any of us all the way to the arena. It didn t get much better when we arrived in the dressing room. Where yesterday s atmosphere was heavily charged and excitement reigned supreme of the 8 challengers who remained there were only stares, glares, and attempt to psyche out opponents.

Grandpa Hino brought us together to let us know the game strategy. Taking care of Rei for this fight would be himself and Chad because they were her family, while Ami because of her medical knowledge would head Lita s side with Serena and myself in support roles. There was a protest from Ami claiming she knew nothing about strategy for this kind of fight. He then assured her that both Rei and Lita will know what to do for the fight part. All they had to do was the between round action.

We said our goodbye s to each other before separating to our individual sides. The television in the room was on and broadcasting. The announcers were doing a recap and summary of the previous day s matches. One of the highlights shown was of Lita s 28 second victory in the first round. There was a little good news as it was reported that the fighter had been released from the hospital with no significant injuries.

After the summary the broadcasters began to break down the fights for the quarterfinals. While listening Ami was taping Lita s hand tightly to prevent the knuckles from a possible cracking. Even with the padded gloves on there was still that possibility. Then we all heard from the hosts of the broadcast.

One of the most interesting matches of this opening round today is between Lita Kino and Rei Hino. Both unknown and unheard of yesterday but definatly not unknown now. Without a doubt the big surprises of this tournament.

His partner agreed.

Oh that goes without saying. This is going to a classic match. Power vs. grappling ability. The first question you have to ask is if the Shinto priestess can survive Lita s power to make it into the 2nd or 3rd round and if she can will Lita have the stamina to go that sort of distance or will she burn herself out going for that quick knockout again and thus have nothing left later on?

An official came into the room and announced it was 15 minutes to go before the first fight was to begin. We looked on as Rei, Chad, and Grandpa Hino walked to the door. However before reaching the exit the elderly man took a look in our direction then whispered something to the other two who then left. Grandpa Hino walked over to us and his nervousness was obvious in his voice as he spoke.

Normally Lita I d be wishing you good luck in your next match ..I want you to do well but .. I mean ..Rei is my granddaughter but I don t want you to get hurt either ..so ..

Lita actually smiled and looked a little embarrassed by the elderly man s difficulty.

Look. , She reassured him , I understand. She s family and I m not. For whatever its worth she s pretty lucky to have you ..and so have I. Thanks senshi

The words seemed to calm him down a bit.

Just be careful and take care of yourself in this fight. ,he finished saying.

He moved away. Then we realized that we had to start moving to the ring also. Somehow the steps seemed steeper to me than they were yesterday. Of course I knew it was just my imagination. I had a feeling that could only be even mildly compared to a condemned prisoner who was taking his final walk before his execution. I had prayed that this moment would somehow never come to pass but now it was going to happen and no wishing or praying on my part was going to stop it from happening.

As we walked with Lita to the ring the crowd seemed even larger than yesterday. They were definatly more vocal. It was actually a little bit disconcerting. We looked further on Rei had already entered the ring. Just glaring in our direction. I wasn t sure if it was meant for all of us or just Lita but I definatly felt her aura. We made our way into the octagon where we placed the stool for Lita but she wouldn t sit down so long as Rei continued to stand up. Already the mind games were starting between the two. Then I heard the ring bell clanging.

Where our group was stationed I could hear the announcers talking.

There they are. Yesterday they were part of the same stable. Today this is a team divided. You can see the main trainer Mr. Hino, by day the person in charge of the Cherry Hills temple, next to him is a co-worker at the temple by the name of Chad. They will be in the corner of Miss Rei Hino. On the other side Miss Lita Kino who today will be seconded by her schoolmates Amy Anderson taking over the role of trainer for this one fight, and assisting her will be Serena Tsukino, and Mino Aino.

Part of me wanted to tell them that I didn t go to the same school as Lita but decided to let the remark pass since I deemed it not important enough a fact to pass on. The ring announcer came into the ring to make the announcements.

The ring bell was struck three times to quiet the crowd down sufficiently so he could be heard.

Ladies and Gentleman. Welcome to day 2 of our tournament, and the start of our first quarter-final match. Scheduled for 3 rounds of 5 minutes each. Introducing to my left in the red corner. Representing the Cherry Hills temple with a record currently of 2-0 with 1 knockout. She has shown fire in her eye s, and her fists and legs to be a combustible combination. Welcome to the octogon Rei Blazing Heat Hino!!!!!

I almost swallowed my tongue when I heard the nickname. I was pretty sure the announcer did not understood the significance of his statements. Then I heard the bell ring a few more times.

In the blue corner. Also representing Cherry Hill's Temple. Also with a record of 2-0 but with 2 knockouts. We saw her striking with heavenly violence in her 1st round match winning in under 30 seconds. We continued to see her elemental power on display in the 2nd round. Clap your hands for Thunder and Lightning Lita Kino!!!!!

The intro was more than Serena, Ami, and I could keep a straight face for. We cracked up with laughter until we saw the cold, hard, glare of Lita. She obviously didn t find the reference as funny as we did.

The referee brought our two groups to the middle of the octagon where he once again explained the rules to both fighters. You could see them glaring so strongly into the others eyes that I couldn t tell you if they had actually listened to a word the ref said. The only physical movement was the touching of gloves before each walked backwards to their corners with assistance from their corner people. I could hear the murmuring of the fans as we were making our last minute preparations. The mouthpiece was put into Lita s mouth by Serena. Ami gave a quick message in the back of the neck to keep the area loose so it would be easier to slide away from the blows. The referee then signaled all parties to leave the octagon.

Then the bell rang for round 1.

Then all hell broke loose.

In all the fights to this point there was a period of time ranging from 30 seconds to almost the entire first round where opponents would be wary of each other. The time often referred to as feeling each other out .

Well there was no feeling out process here. Rei came straight across the ring and began throwing fists at Lita. This stunned me but not as much so as Ami, Serena, and the others in Rei s corner. Perhaps the most surprised was Lita herself. Rei seemed determine to stand toe to toe with her and slug it out. This aggressive style definatly threw Lita s game plan off as she found herself actually having to fight defensively for the first 45 seconds of the the fight as she was being bombarded with fists and kicks that seemed to be coming from any angle. Lita couldn t even counter attack because as swift as she could hit Rei was just a bit faster. Fast enough to prevent Lita from mounting any sort of offense.

That offense while quite effective began to slow Rei down a little. It finally gave Lita the opportunity to counter. A simple jab started the proceedings. Then a three punch combination caused Rei to take a step back. The pair then started exchanging kicks and blows. To nobody s surprise Lita was proving to be the more powerful of the two. You could see Rei s head snapping back with each blow but like a tree against a strong wind she was refusing to go down.

It wasn t until the halfway point of the first round when the first decisive move of the match was performed. Lita went for a side kick that Rei was able to anticipate. Grabbing the leg by the calf it was a simple process of being able to sweep the leg causing Lita to fall to the canvas. In a split second however Lita used her long legs to catch Rei behind the knee causing her to fall forward giving her a chance to escape a potentially dangerous situation.

As Rei got up Lita caught her with a solid series of kicks and blows that sent her staggering back into the mesh. It was now Lita s turn to be the aggressor. Rei was definatly fighting from a disadvantaged position but that didn t stop her from trying to counter Lita s assault either by blocking the blows or occasionally counter punching or kicking.

During this time I also looked across the ring. Grandpa Hino was screaming furiously at Rei. This was obviously not the plan of attack he had set up for his granddaughter. Though I couldn t hear him because of the increasing roar of the crowd. I could read his lips which was quite apparently shouting, What are you doing?

In the fury of action the crowd was being whipped into a frenzy. With each blow they were getting louder and louder. Some were even standing up, shouting encouragement or derogatory remarks at the pair. Even the crowd seemed to realize the all out war these two were prepared to wage against each other and their bloodlust had infected them.

Lita had cornered Rei into the mesh of the octagon and began to hold her head down by gripping the back of her neck with her hands, then came a beating to her face from the well placed knees of Lita. Over the commotion of the crowd I could hear the ringside announce team calling the action.

At the rate this is going the referee may have to stop the contest to protect Rei Hino from absorbing more punishment. She needs to show some sort of offense and soon.

As if on cue Rei did respond she managed to grab one of Lita s knees but not before it had connected to her jaw. This action caught Lita off balance and Rei began pumping her legs to drive forward. Lita managed to one hop herself a couple of steps but soon began to topple. I was surprised when Lita managed to grab Rei in a front headlock so as she was going backwards to the mat Rei s head received a brutal impact. This left her defenseless for a few seconds which Lita capitalized on with three or four blows to the back of the head. The referee looked ready to call the fight off when Rei swung an elbow that caught Lita on the side of the head removing her from a dominant position allowing Rei to get back to her feet.

REI S CUT! REI S CUT! , shouted Serena.

I looked more closely and discovered she was right. There was a cut around the left eye. If the blood was to seep into the eye her vision would be affected. The referee looked closely at the damage as the pair continued fighting but deemed it not enough to conclude the battle.

The remainder of the round consisted of both combatants throwing punches and kicks but the fast pace that had been set were causing them to slow down a degree. When the bell rang at its conclusion the ref signaled for them to get to their corners. Placing down the stool Lita found herself in an unusual situation. Having to go into a 2nd round. As I gave Lita her water Ami bent over and held her wrist as she talked in calm tones.

Good first round. You did well but I m worried here. Your pulse is racing. You re working to hard so far. You need to slow the fight down to begin the 2nd round. You re in great shape Lita, you really are. However Rei has you beat in the cardiovascular department.

So I should just stand and let Rei use me for target practice? , Lita sarcastically said.

Of course not. But this round see if you can get into a grappling battle with her. Let her try and carry your weight for a while. This will sap her energy while giving you a chance to get your wind back ..

I stopped listening to pay attention to the action across the ring. As Rei sat on her stool her Grandfather was in an animated mood. Obviously not to happy with what his granddaughter actions in the first round. Next to him Chad was pressing something against Rei s face in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Even while paying attention to this I couldn t help but hear the announcers nearby.

Great first round for Lita Kino but give credit to Rei Hino for surviving it. She has to be in great shape to stand toe to toe with the Amazon as she did.

His broadcast partner agreed.

But if she doesn t change her strategy Ms. Hino won t survive this round. I will say this. So far the pair have shown more action than many of our 3 round battles, and we still have two rounds to go. When I first thought about their battle coming in today I wondered if they would hold back because they are stable mates yet they fought that first round like they were the bitterest of rivals. We could be seeing a very personal war here. One nobody could have seen coming.

Sadly I couldn t find myself disagreeing with the assessment. This grudge had gotten too personal, too intense. Neither were going to back off, or give up unless forced to.

Now be careful this round. Rei is now behind and she may feel the need to be even more aggressive this time. This could cause her to make a mistake. Be ready to capitalize on it. ,Ami suggested.

Both sides were given a signal that the next round was about to commence. Both fighters stood up and the corner people cleared away their items to move outside the octagon.

The bell rang to begin round 2 and as Ami had warned Rei had gotten even more aggressive than she had shown in the first round. Lita began the round in a controlled retreat attempting to keep Rei off guard with jabs to the head when she got too close or an occasional kick to the thigh. It was amazing that Ami had predicted this so easily.

How did you know Rei would fight this way? ,I finally asked her.

My friend just shrugged her shoulders.

I may not be an expert at this mixed martial arts fighting style but I think I am an expert on Rei and her tendencies. She just hates to lose. The biggest challenge though is to reign in Lita s temper and keep her focused. She can t get frustrated because Rei won t give up.

I had to agree with the logic of the statement. Lita began to show signs of frustration that Rei wasn t going down to her best punches. Rei was cut. She was bleeding. Yet she continued to come forward. Finally a couple of minutes into the fight something remarkable happened. Lita tried to throw another punch and Rei caught the arm at the wrist and back of the elbow with her hands. She then in an act that seemed quite deliberate pulled Lita down on top of her.

Hino has caught Kino in the golapa! This could be the big break Hino was waiting for! The moment she grabbed the arm see how see wrapped her legs around the sides of the head! This is a submissive maneuver and it looks like she s got it locked in tightly! , one of the broadcasters exclaimed.

What a stunning turn of events this is. Hino who has been taking the worst of it during the course of this match thus far now is poised to win in stunning fashion. Kino seems unable to discover a counter to this hold but she better and do it soon. , concurred his partner.

The audience was going in a fevered frenzy by this point of the bout. Under my breath I found myself cursing at them for their glorification of this fight, not knowing what this was doing to their friendship.

In the ring something unexpected was happening. Rei s back was being lifted off the canvas unexpectedly. I had not seen it at first but Lita had managed to grab Rei by her gee in the chest area and using sheer brute force was lifting her slowly off the ground. I was totally stunned by this and it would appear I wasn t the only one.

I can t believe what I m seeing! Kino is dead lifting her opponent with one hand! Just how strong is this women?!?!? , the broadcaster shouted.

I watched with amazement as Rei was lifted up until she was even with Lita s thighs. Seemingly anticipating what was about to be done to her Rei unlatched her legs from around the head to try and place them on the ground. However that may have been Lita s plan from the start because the moment her legs had disconnected from around her neck Lita drove her opponent with all her force back first into the ground. The impact was so strong that Rei let go of the arm. However Lita s momentum was so strong that her jaw caught both of Rei s knee s causing her to become stunned. Fighting the body s desire to buckle Lita staggered backwards until gravity proved to be the stronger force and she fell to the canvas.

The referee looked confused as if he wanted to end the bout at that second. I don t know if it was because he wasn t sure who to give the victory too, or if he was concerned over the crowd reaction and perhaps his physical well being from the crowd if he dared to stop the contest at this point with both combatants on the mat.

The first person to stand was Rei but Lita quickly followed. Using her accidental advantage Rei pressed the attack going once again for a leg takedown. While countering the move she had exposed the right side of her body which the quicker Rei was able to take advantage. With a mongoose s quickness she delivered a devastating back round kick to the right side of her ribs. The expression on Lita s face changed significantly. Her eye s expanded with a look of alarm. The whole course of the match seemed to change in that one instant. While Rei became even more aggressive if that was even possible, Lita began to take a more defensive posture. She also angled her body in an attempt from any further damage to her right side where the kick found its mark. Lita did her best to keep Rei off guard with left jabs and kicks designed to benefit her advantage in the reach of her legs vs. Rei s arms.

With thirty seconds left in the round Rei successfully took Lita down again and was able to strike some more blow to her injured side. Lita went into her guard defense but was able to do little offensively to shake off her opponent. It was with a collective breath of relief from Ami, Serena, and myself when we heard the bell that ended the 2nd round. As Lita staggered her way back to the corner Ami placed me in front of Lita.

You re the biggest of us three so stand here and don t let the others see what we are about to do. , Ami instructed me.

What are we going to be doing? ,I inquired.

Try to see how badly she s hurt. ,Ami answered.

I can tell you how badly I m hurt. I think at the very least she cracked 2 of the ribs. Doesn t feel like they re broken but they re definatly in bad shape. , Lita came back with.

Understanding the situation Ami began to lean Lita s head forward. Then beginning an examining of the injured area with her hands.

All right. I ve got a hold of the affected area. Try taking as deep a breath as you can. Lean your head again Mina to help you. , Ami instructed.

Doing as she was told Lita tried her best to take deep breaths but it was easy to see that this was not an easy task for her. As Ami worked her hands around the injury the ability to breath was sometimes eased, sometimes more labored. A scowl crossed Ami s face.

They re not broken. Not yet anyway but if I send you back in for the 3rd round they might be. We ve got to stop the fight now. ,Ami concluded.

Don t you dare even think about doing that. I m not going to surrender now so don t you dare try to stop me. ,Lita demanded.

From across the ring we could hear Rei shouting out to Lita.

Ready to give up yet Miss Thunder ? You re hurt and I know it. Quit now and you ll get the help you need. ,yelled Rei.

Go to hell pyro! I m not quitting but you will be when I get off this stool. , Lita countered.

Listen to these two. Even with the round over they are exchanging taunts to each other. If we get to a 3rd round what more can be done to each other that hasn t been done already! Where are they finding the energy? ,the broadcaster yelled into his mic.

I did my best to keep Lita s head still while she was still drawing deep breaths. Suddenly Serena s voice spoke with alarm.

The referee is coming over here. I think he s going to make sure you re all right.

With her voice low but quite serious Lita reacted.

Stop this fight and I swear I ll never speak to any of you again. EVER!

But .. ,Ami started to say.

EVER!

The referee worked his way around me but not before Lita took her head off my chest and tried to appear as if nothing was wrong. She gave her sweetest smile to the ref and I could only stand and wonder how she could do it when obviously she was in so much pain. The ref looked at Lita then turned to Ami and spoke to her.

How is she? Is she unable to continue? , he inquired.

I could see Ami was torn over what to do. Instinct seemed to tell her to shut down the fight. Yet her ears clearly remembered Lita s threat to never speak with her again if she did so.

Lita said she can continue.

The referee looked sternly at Ami as if he expected that answer but wasn t satisfied.

Miss. If you ask ANY fighter if they can continue of course they re going to say they can. That is why I don t bother asking them but instead ask their trainers who normally have a more objective attitude. So again I ask you. Is she able to continue?

Obviously torn in her desires Ami made the difficult decision.

She can continue.

The referee looked like he wasn t happy with the decision but would abide by it.

Lita, be careful. Protect your right side at all costs. You can t take much damage there now. ,Ami warned.

The blatantly obvious isn t needed right now. The merely obvious will work. ,Lita rebuked.

The ref gave the signal that the final round was about to begin. Both fighter had gone through so much for 10 minutes of action. Now they ll try to go 5 more if needed. Before the bell rang Lita reminded everybody.

Stop this fight and we re through.

I wish I could say that Lita fought well in that final round. I can say with honesty that she fought bravely. She didn t ask for mercy and Rei was not in the mood to show any. Rei took her down in the first few seconds and tried every maneuver to strike the injured ribs. Lita fought the round hard but in a definite defensive mode. A couple of times that round she was actually able to get out of Rei s hold but because of her inability to stand up right away it took little effort for Rei to take her down again. Rei was as dominant in this round as Lita had been in the 1st. Through it all half the crowd was screaming for Rei while the other half supported Lita s attempt to hang in the battle.

With ninety seconds left in the fight Rei finally got what she wanted. She had gotten Lita s right arm exposed enough to execute her arm bar move. I heard a scream of pain out of Lita I had never heard before. The referee asked if she wanted to quit but she refused. I can only imagine the amount of pain she had to be in at that moment. I thought certainly the pain would have to cause her to pass out.

I began to cry at this point. Well maybe crying isn t the best word to describe what I was doing. I was totally blubbering. I prayed that Lita would tap out, or give some signal of surrender. You might damn me for my behavior, but those were my friends out there and one of them was in excruciating hurt. The worse of these feelings was knowing it was beyond my control to stop it. I don t know if the camera caught me in my emotional distress but it wouldn t have mattered to me if they did. I watched the clock ticking down, each second clicking down felt like minutes were passing buy and if this was how it felt to me how much worse could it be at this moment for Lita.

At one point when Lita appeared about ready to pass out from the anguish she used her free arm to punch herself in the head to keep her conscious. I could see tears falling from her eyes but she wouldn t surrender. When the ref looked like he would stop the fight she egged and pleaded with him not to. At 30 seconds left the crowd started counting down each second. I don t know if Lita could hear them but her resolve to see this round to the end never wavered. Rei did everything in her power to get Lita to quit. It was just a matter of there was enough time left in the fight for it to happen. At 10 seconds left the voice of the crowd thundered throughout the arena. It was so loud I couldn t hear myself think.

Finally, mercifully, the bell rang.

Rei let go of the hold and Lita rolled into a fetal position in sobbing agony. Rei was so exhausted she couldn t move from her back. At the moment of the bell we were no longer two opposing forces but one again looking after both of our friends. I didn t know who won the fight at that moment. I also admit I just didn t care. Ami and Grandpa Hino to care of Lita while myself Serena, and Chad looked at Rei. It was several minutes before either one stirred. Rei was able to get up with minimal assistance once she had been given some water to drink and splash on her face. Lita took several more minutes before she could get up and even then she needed a lot of assistance. It was only then I could see and hear the response of the crowd. All were standing, all were cheering, applauding, whistling. All were showing their respect for what they had just seen. As we lowered Lita onto her stool I heard the broadcaster make the following statement.

Listen to this crowd showing their respects for these two gallant individuals. Now I don t care if you were pulling for Hino or Kino in this bout. That is your business. However how can you not stand up to cheer and applaud for the effort they put into this bout. You are looking at two women who showed nothing short of the spirits of samurai warriors.

I m so glad I was able to hear those words because my eyes were still tearing up so much that I could barely see. My friends were hurting so naturally I was hurting for them. It was a short time later that the referee instructed both fighters to head towards the middle of the ring. With Lita on his left side and Rei on the right, the referee stood between them and the ring announcer announced the winner.

We have a 3 to 2 split decision in this bout. The winner and moving on to the semi-finals is .. 


	4. Chapter 4

There was a long pause for the announcement of the winner. Obviously done to draw out the suspense that everybody was eagerly anticipating. Then I saw the referee let go of Lita s hand and I thought that was it. She had lost the fight. Still she could take pride in knowing she had fought well. If it hadn t been for the injury to her ribs she would have most likely won.

"LITA 'THUNDER AND LIGHTNING' KINO!"

The referee raised his left hand over Lita s head to confirm she was the winner. Now I understood why he had let her hand go. If he had raised the arm her bad ribs would have sent shock waves of pain through her body and he wanted to avoid that. A classy move if you ask me. There was a splattering of boo s over the decision but overall the response was positive from the crowd. I could see Rei s head slumping down in obvious disappoint. She obviously thought she had won the fight but now the dream of advancing had been destroyed. There would be no second chance. No appeal. Still she showed herself to be a good loser. She went over to Lita and very gently, very carefully hugged her. The rest of us took turns hugging and shaking hand with both of them. Finally we were asked by the referee to leave the octagon so the tournament could continue.

As we made our way back to the dressing room Lita continued to hold her hand against her ribs. When Grandpa Hino kept asking if she was all right Lita did everything possible to vocally express that she was but the elderly man knew differently. In the dressing room I overheard him tell Chad to look after Rei while the rest of us took care of Lita. He ordered both girls to lay down on the benches then went to get the doctor. They laid down with their heads next to each other.

"Heck of a fight Lita. Congrats." ,finally spoke Rei.

"You didn t do such a bad job yourself Rei. I m going to be feeling this for a while." ,Lita responded.

Grandpa Hino came back to the dressing room with the physician for this tournament to give Lita an examination of how badly she was hurt. He pressed his hand lightly against the side of her ribs and she gave a groan of discomfort. When he pressed a little harder Lita opened her mouth as if to yell but nothing came out of her voice. The doctor shook his head negatively.

"The ribs are definatly broken and while she is trying to hide the fact she is in a lot of pain. She should be removed from further competition",he announced.

Lita tried to sit up to protest but barely raised her back a few inches off the bench before the rest of the body protested causing her face to go slightly flush and the body to slump back down.

"Just let me rest a little bit. I ll be good as new soon." ,she tried to assure us.

The doctor once again shook his head indicating that she wouldn't. The final responsibility, the final say would have to be made by Grandpa Hino as the head trainer for Lita. It was a situation I didn t envy for him. I could see the look on Lita s face beseeching Grandpa Hino to let her continue. In the end though he knew what was right.

"Tell the officials ..Lita can t continue."

The tears began to swell up in her eye's.

"Please sensei ..don t."

"I'm sorry Lita. You are brave and tough but I can not in good conscious allow you to go out there and get hurt worse."

The tears starting falling fast. This was not the news she wanted to hear even if it was the correct one. Grandpa Hino made his final point. He spoke softly, gently, but with conviction in his voice.

"Lita, when I leave this existence and meet the spirit of your parents what am I going to say when they ask me why I let their daughter continue when it was so obvious she was hurt? What am I going to tell them? Because she wanted to continue?!? What could I say to them? What would you want me to say to them?"

She looked away, not able to give response to his questions. I suddenly remembered the discussion Grandpa Hino and I had the previous evening. How Lita always needed to feel like she was in control. That she didn t display any form of weakness. Now those options were being taken away from her and it frustrated her. He finished his thoughts with one final comment.

"I know that you probably are quite angry with me right now. If that s the case then I hope you live for the next 80 or 90 years hating me over what I m doing today. At least you ll have a long life that is healthier and with less pain."

He then gave the rest of us instructions to help Lita shower up for the ride home while he and Chad waited outside. Rei was able to do this without assistance. Lita however could barely move the right side of her body comfortably as we showered and dressed her. We were about to leave the building when we came across the women who would have been Lita s opponent in the next round had she been able to continue. Her words were few but quite genuine.

"I heard that you were too injured to continue. I m sorry to hear that. It would have been an honor to test my skills against you or your last opponent for that matter. I hope you ll try again next year."

There was a nod of thanks from Lita who was still too disappointed to even speak. As we walked out of the arena we could hear the ring announcer informing the crowd of the injury to Lita and how it has forced her to withdraw. We never heard how they responded to the news because we had gotten outside to the van for the trek home. At the van Grandpa Hino held out a bottle that rattled when he shook it.

"Lita, at the doctors instruction we went out and got you some vicodin to help you deal with the pain as your ribs heal up. You re suppose to take a pill at least every 4 hours for the first couple of days then as needed to deal with the pain. Because of that you ll be staying at the temple for a little while."

I thought that the prospect of living away from her own place, not to mention being under the same roof with the person who put her in this physical condition would be verbally protested. Instead Lita meekly nodded and with some assistance from Chad was put in the front seat of the van. The rest of us sat together in the backseat. At the temple we all got out and helped to remove Lita from the van. Together we made our way into the temple. At his instruction Grandpa Hino told Chad to get one of the spare futons and set it up for Lita while he went to the kitchen to get some ice packs for Rei s eye which was developing quite a black and blue configuration as well as for Lita s ribs which I was sure had the same purple splotches.

For a while we all sat around just sharing small talk and watching a little TV until the news came on. After the headlines of the usual violence in our society they did a story on the tournament we had participated in. It turned out that the person Lita would have fought in the semi finals won the entire tournament. Though I didn t express the thought I m glad Grandpa Hino took her out of the tournament when he did. I shudder to think what the champ would have done to my injured friend. Eventually Grandpa Hino did asked the rest of us to leave so that Rei and Lita could get some rest and start healing.

It would be a couple of weeks before Lita would be allowed to leave the temple and return to her own home. During that time not only did the injuries to Rei and Lita healed but so did their relationship. Maybe it was because they had to share the same roof during that period that they had to either bury the hatchet between them or else use that hatchet into each others skulls. To make sure Lita didn t try to leave before she fully healed Chad under instructions from Grandpa Hino hid her clothes away so all she could wear during the stay was the official priestess outfit of the temple. Worse for her within Lita s pockets were the keys to her house so even if she tried to leave there was no way she could have gotten the door unlocked so she could enter.

For Lita it gave her a good chance to be part of a family environment. It was something that I could honestly say that Lita didn t object to though at times it did make her feel out of place. Also Lita wasn t use to having a grown up around who made sure that her homework was done when she wanted to watch television or similar situations that often arises in a family setting When she started feeling a little better Lita didn t try to milk her injury. She did her best to help out around the temple. For his part Grandpa Hino kept the physical activity limited. For the most part he utilized her cooking skills to make the meals. A little while later she did a bit of sweeping until finally she was strong enough to began working side by side with Rei and Chad on more stressful chores.

I can t say when they officially became friends again but I do know that when the doctor s said she was good enough to live alone again both were very sad to see the other leave. Rei gave a hug that was so strong Lita quipped that her ribs might get broken again.

So that s the story what happened when Lita and Rei fought each other. I m still a little sad that it had to happen but maybe Grandpa Hino was right. It was something that was fated. I guess you could say that sometimes even the most heavenly of relationships are strengthened when the parties have to go through hell first.


End file.
